This article contains the following:
- What is an API?
- How do API's work?
- What is an endpoint?
- What types of actions can be performed via API?
- What type of API architecture does Built Intelligence use?
- What is middleware?
- What is an integration hub?
- What is a connector?
- What types of connectors does Built Intelligence provide for FastDraft?
- What types of external triggers can initiate an action in FastDraft?
- How do I use your API’s?
- How can I access your API’s?
What is an API?
API stands for Application Programming Interface, which is a software intermediary that allows two unrelated applications to talk to each other. It takes data from one programme and delivers it to another.
How do APIs work?
APIs typically work through a request-response mechanism:
- Request: A user might initiate an API request by entering a search term or clicking a button. API requests may also be triggered by external events, such as a notification from another application. Each request specifies the data or functionality it needs.
- Response: The API processes the request and sends back the appropriate response, which could be data or a confirmation of an action performed
What is an endpoint?
An API endpoint is a dedicated URL that provides access to a specific resource. For instance, the /CompensationEvent endpoint in FastDraft includes the logic for processing all requests that are related to Compensation Events.
What types of actions can be performed via API?
FastDraft is developed based on the API-first principle. In a nutshell, everything that you can do in the FastDraft user interface can also be done via API. We also have a separate API for reports.
What type of API architecture does Built Intelligence use?
- REST (Representational State Transfer) is the most popular API architecture for transferring data over the internet. Resources are accessible via endpoints, and operations are performed on those resources with standard HTTP methods such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE.
- Webhooks: In the traditional request-response cycle, an API client actively sends a request to an API server in order to retrieve data or perform actions. In contrast, a webhook listens for a specific event and performs a pre-configured action in response. When a specific event occurs in FastDraft, the application can send an HTTP request to a pre-configured webhook URL with the relevant event data in the request payload. The system that receives the webhook can then process the event and take the appropriate action.
What is middleware?
Middleware is software that translates messages or data so that the format used by one system can be understood by another system.
What is an integration hub?
An integration hub is a specific type of middleware that acts as a centralised platform for integrating multiple systems. It typically provides a cloud-based user interface for managing integrations and often uses pre-built connectors. Examples include Microsoft PowerAutomate and Zapier.
What is a connector?
Integration hubs use various types of connectors to integrate different applications and automate workflows. These connectors are categorised based on their functionality and the type of interaction they facilitate. The main types of connectors are:
- Triggers: Events that start a workflow. When a specified event occurs in one app, it triggers an action in another app. There are two main types of triggers:
- Polling Triggers: These check for new data at regular intervals.
- Instant Triggers: These are real-time triggers that immediately start a workflow when an event occurs.
- Actions: Tasks that a workflow performs after being triggered (e.g. create a new record, send an email, or update a database entry).
What types of connectors does Built Intelligence provide for FastDraft?
Other applications or integration hubs can make direct calls to all of our API’s. We’re also working on creating pre-built connectors to make integrations even easier. Currently, Built Intelligence provides the following pre-built connectors
- Triggers (events from FastDraft that trigger an action in another application)
- Communications webhook
- Documents webhook
- Users webhook
- Actions (events in FastDraft that can be initiated from a trigger in FastDraft or another application)
- Create a draft notification
- Create a draft submission
- Create a draft instruction
What types of external triggers can initiate an action in FastDraft?
In principle any external event could be used to trigger any action in FastDraft. The key constraint is what trigger events are supported by the other application, how those are made available to FastDraft or to an integration hub. The trigger event needs to include sufficient information to populate the request or you will need to define rules for populating the missing information.
What types of activity in FastDraft can trigger an action in another application?
In principle, any event could be used to trigger an action in another application. The key constraint is what actions are supported by the other application either via pre-built connectors or via its API endpoints. The trigger event needs to include sufficient information to populate the request or you will need to define rules for populating the missing information.
How do I use your API’s?
Our application API is documented here: https://api-docs.builtintelligence.com/
Our reporting API is documented here: https://reporting-api-docs.builtintelligence.com
How can I access your API’s?
You will need a user account to be set up in FastDraft with the appropriate User Type. Your API access will be the same as your UI access so if you need to see all contracts for your organisation you will need a user type that grants you access to all contracts or you will need to be added as a contract user.
For more on User Types see Understanding Roles and Permissions in FastDraft.
For more on accessing our API’s see FastDraft REST API Quick Start Guide.
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